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# Showstopper
- URL: https://www.merionwest.com/showstopper/
- Published: 2026-06-11T14:36:15.000Z
- Updated: 2026-09-01T22:23:45.000Z
- Description: Madi Maiola
- Author: MW Editors
- Tags: Poetry, Arts

> There I was

> torn chiffon & tarnished silk,

> the spotlight froze it all–

> dust settling from the warm light,

> eyes of serpents or fox or both,

> mouths agape & the announcer’s stuttering words.

> one hand over my breast,

> the other holding the remains of my gown;

> I still feel ashamed.

> heat rising across my body,

> flushed cheeks & that lump in my throat:

> nothing weighs more than judgement

> but nothing weighs less than pity.

> their hatred presses on my tongue as they say,

> How dare you ruin this!

> it’s not a question–

> just the beginning of rock bottom.

> & it’s my Sunday best.

### Madi Maiola is a poet in Connecticut. She is a former two-time apprentice at the Nook Farms Collaborative.